The Paradox of Riddick
by The Cheshire Kat
Summary: Just a (really) short piece about Riddick's feelings- kind of a montage. I've decided to add stuff to it, so check beck often! RR, please
1. Riddick's life

Three years post PB  
  
Riddick awoke, sweat on his forehead. He had had that dream again. He had stopped dreaming since going to Slam. In the beginning he dreamed of the outside world, of someone loving him, of being human again. The only way for him to survive in Slam was to kill.kill the guilty, kill the innocent, just kill. Who and when you killed determined your station. If you killed only those who tormented you during the dark of night, you were nothing. If you killed anyone at night, you were given some respect. If you killed only those who tormented you during the day, you were fairly well respected, a king rat. If you killed the guy that looked at you wrong once during the day, you were a god. You were feared and given anything you wanted. Riddick had been a god- the one time he didn't want that kind of respect. No one knew, but he longed to be human again, to be able to see sunlight and feel another's skin in love, not death. He swallowed hard. All those he had killed were better off dead~ child molesters, rapists, murderers. They all had a lifetime ticked in Slam. That thought usually gave him some comfort, but tonight it made him sick. He tried to go to sleep for an hour, and when he finally did it was a sleep riddled with dreams of the past, the present, and of a future he knew he could never have.  
  
Riddick, 26 now, smiled into the camera. He had short jet black hair and blue eyes. After the picture was taken, he lifted the girl into the air. She squealed and clung onto him. This made him spin in a circle, faster and faster until the world was a blur of ocean, sand, and sky. The pair toppled into the sand, gasping for air and laughing. She lovingly laid a hand on his chest. She kissed him on the cheek. He smiled into her beautiful face and told her how much he loved her.  
  
A 34 year old Riddick, now bald and wearing light screening goggles, walked thought the streets of New York, looking at vendors and seeing happy couples. They walked hand in hand and Riddick just ignored them. It was something he had become good at. He ate a tasteless hotdog and continued on his way. He saw the fleeting image of a beautiful girl in a blue sundress. He looked again but it was gone. He ran to where he thought she went. There she was again. He followed her for miles and miles, too far away to touch, too close to give up and go home. Soon he was exhausted- emotionally more than physically. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, but as soon as he did, she was gone. He hardened his heart to the disappearance and began the methodical walk back home.to a life he hated.  
  
Riddick, now 50, trudged back up to the apartment he had had for almost 20 years now. He knew what was awaiting him.a big nothing. There was no one to come home to, no one to hug, and no one to talk to- not even a cat. He accepted this fact like all the other parts of his life- head on and unflinching. He knew his life was miserable but he didn't know how to change it. He opened the door and stared into the immense blackness.his home.his heart.  
  
There is a lone grave on the ugly side of a hill, facing the city of New York. It is alone and simply says RB Riddick. No dates, no poem, no picture. No flowers, just emptiness. 


	2. Riddick's sacrafice

A young girl crouches on the ground, hiding behind a headstone.  Some thugs are after her, a confrontation she would rather avoid.  She stills her breathing to a minimum, hearing the sounds of running footsteps approaching.  She closes her eyes for a second, imagining where she would rather be.  The yelling reaches her ears- taunts and threats.  Their words- all the pain they promise when they find her- maker her stomach churn.  She forces the feeling down, focusing instead on surviving.  She tried to block out their words, but images flash in her mind and she can see exactly what they mean.  She can vividly imagine the pain and blocks that, too.  The sounds die down, but she sits there for another half an hour to make sure they are truly gone- these men are worse than their word.  She lets out a shaky breath and peers over the headstone, her hands brushing along the engraving.  She sees that the graveyard is deserted and exhales, slumping against the now warm stone.  She leans her head back and thanks the powers that be for this headstone.  It had been the only thing between her and unimaginable pain.  She turns and stare at the engraving.  All it says is RB Riddick with dates.  Nothing else- no epitaph, no flowers, nothing. _ How sad. she thinks.  Her fingers trace the letters, the stone feeling rough and cool to the touch.  She takes a deep breath and leans her head on the marker, giving silent thanks to the person who had given their life so she could live.  She stands up and stretches, her thin clothes pathetic for the winter that's on its way.  The sun is shining and she walks to a nearby field, collecting a handful of wildflowers.  She walks back to the graver solemnly and places the flowers on the ground in front of the stone.  She turns her back and walks away, going back to a life she hates.  _

Winter has passed and its now spring, and our heroine is still alive, though no one knows how.  She walks back up to the cemetery, a bouquet of stolen flowers in her arms.  She removes the old decayed flowers and throws them into the field, placing the new ones on the same spot.  She whispers her thanks again and turns, only to come face to face with a woman.  She's ten years older than she, and the look on her face is none too friendly.  

"What are you doing here?" the woman demands coldly, her voice sending unconscious chills down her spine.

"Nothing.  I was just putting some flowers on this grave" she indicates the stone behind her.

"Why?" she asks, her voice slightly less cold but no less demanding.

"He saved my life" she says simply and moves to walk away.

"How?  He was dead before you were born" she states.

"His gravestone protected me from some very bad people- he saved me from them.  Because he was in this exact spot, right where I needed him to be"

The woman surveys the girl in front of her. 

"Would you like to know who he was?"

"If you want to tell me" she answers, not wanting to encroach in this woman's life

"Follow me" she demands cryptically.  Seeing no other choice, she trails behind the woman, wondering where this path will lead her.  


	3. Riddick's Story Can Only Be Told At Nigh...

OMG!!!  The Chronicles of Riddick come out in a matter of MONTHS!!  I just saw the preview and HOLY CRAP!!  I will be the first in line to see it!

"What's your name?" the girl asks as the silence becomes almost unbearable.  

"Riddick knew me as Jack. " she states, her eyes never leaving the pathway in front of her, "Do you have a name?" she asks as an afterthought.

"Pip" she says simply, not caring to explain.  Jack seems to understand this and doesn't ask for an explanation

"How…how did he die?" Pip finds the courage to voice the question that had been brimming in her mind since she had first laid eyes on the gravestone.

"He died the way he wanted to die…a shiv in his hand." The woman says bitterly, her pain readable just below the surface.

They are silent again and Pip becomes more and more nervous at the dying of the light.

"Where are we going?" She demands, expertly keeping the panicked tremor out.

"To Riddick's place.  It's another block from here." She says nonchalantly.

They enter a small apartment with a layer of dust covering everything.  

"Go ahead, sit down" Jack motions to the couch.  Pip removes the plastic covering and sits, sinking deep into the plush couch cushion.  Jack moves to the window and dramatically pulls back the curtains.  A perfect view of the setting sun greets Pip's eyes and she can't help but be silent.

"Riddick loved sunsets." Jack muses, her eyes scanning the orange and purple painting in front of her.

"Why?" Pip can't help but ask.

"He had a shine job- the dying of the light meant he didn't have to wear his goggles anymore."  Pip nods, seeming to comprehend this fact like a person with firsthand experience.  They watch the last of the light fade and die, the silence becoming strangely comfortable.  

"Riddick's story can't be told by sunlight- he lived in darkness and he died in darkness."

Pip nods, her fascination with this man  mounting.  

"Where to start?" Jack seems to chuckle.

"The beginning is good start" Pip answers, her tone light to mask much more serious thoughts.

"Well, yes- but which beginning?  When he was born, or when he was born to darkness (a/n: Sorry!  I know it's Anne Rice's "thing", but I couldn't help it!!)?  Or maybe when he was reborn to the light?"  

"So many beginnings" Pip murmurs, "Where do you feature?"

"Maybe that is the best place to start.  Do you know what happened to a ship called the Hunter-Gratzner?"

"Of course- it was the biggest disaster of the age"

The light seems to go off in Pip's mind and she inhales sharply.

"You mean he's…" she stammers.  

Jack laughs outright, "Yes, I do mean Richard B Riddick, convict, murder, and hero" 

"He's a legend!" she exclaims, her normally cool veneer forgotten, "He was the only merc hunter."

Pip thinks for a second, something else seeming to register in her mind.  

"You're his second" she states, nothing being able to shock her now.  Jack nods, appreciating that she was a legend in her own right.

"A shiv fighter second only to Riddick" Pip adds.  Her hand moves to her hip where her own shiv is stored.  Jack smiles slightly and looks at the younger woman.

"I hope it homemade"  she sighs.

"What's homemade?" Pip asks, trying her best to sound innocent

"Your shiv"

Seeing no point in lying, Pip nods.

"Of course" she adds.  Pip removes the shiv from her hip and flashes it in the moonlight.  Jack appraises is but doesn't ask to touch it.  

After a few seconds of silence, Jack quirks an eyebrow at Pip.  "So you wanna know about Riddick?"

Pip nods, her eyes fixed on Jack now.

"Good- this is gonna take all night" she smirks and sits down, preparing to tell the story of a lifetime.


	4. The First Story

*Grins* I'm so glad you like my story! It is going to go into a more traditional story when Jack starts to tell Pip about Riddick (it is SO HARD to write in the present!!) Anyway, if you keep reviewing I'll keep writing!  
  
"A long time ago, Riddick saved my life. I was 15, maybe 16, and he was the only thing between me and certain annihilation" Jack begins, her eyes becoming unfocused as she begins to remember, "H was old enough that I fell for him- hard. But he was also old enough that I was of little to no interest to him sexually."  
  
Pip snorts at Jack's directness, a trait Jack had inherited from Riddick.  
  
"Imam, the only other survivor, offered to take me with him to New Mecca to give me a 'decent life'. I flat out refused, of course, and Riddick just kind of kept me. He taught me how to fight and, more importantly, how to survive. My parents were undoubtedly looking for me, so Riddick and I stayed stealth. We never owned much more than a ship and clothes, but I did have an impressive collection of digital books and videogames. I got my education with him- he was a very intelligent man. He'd read more books than any other person I knew and could, and on many occasions did, discuss them at length. He even had me do lessons, of sorts, which was another survival skill. I was smart enough that no one would know I was a runaway, thus I wouldn't be questioned."  
  
Jack coughs and stared at the now bright stars. She takes a deep breath, letting the memories she's repressed bombard her once more.  
  
* Riddick stared at the stars, lost in his own mind. Jack was reading in the 'living room', Tolstoy if he remembered correctly. Crazy kid. He yawned and stretched, cracking his back and neck expertly. He slid his body out of the pilot's chair and walked back to the kitchen. Jack looked up as she heard the familiar clunk of boots on the metal floor.  
  
"Done staring into space yet?" she asked teasingly.  
  
"For now" he replied, an eyebrow arched.  
  
"Where to next?" she asked, putting the digital book aside.  
  
"I don't know- I thought we'd stay out here till we starved."  
  
"Was that sarcasm?" Jack snorted. Riddick ignored her and continued making himself dinner.  
  
"It wasn't really funny, but at least it's an improvement." She smirked and stuck her tongue out when Riddick looked at her.  
  
He walked away, a plate in his hand. She heard him walk into his bedroom and close the door. Jack just shrugged and looked back at her book. Her eyes darted up suddenly and she threw the book onto the sofa, trying to sneak into the computer room. She logged on quickly and deleted the web sited she'd been looking at earlier. She wasn't allowed to use the computer, even though she was a damn good hacker and knew how to cover her tracks, but Riddick was paranoid. She sensed his presence before he announced himself and Jack closed her eyes.  
  
"This isn't what-" she started to say.  
  
"Don't even think about lying to me Jack." Riddick snapped coolly, "You were cleaning up after yourself. Haven't you learned anything? If you can't disobey me without my knowledge, how can I trust you to not tip off the mercs by accident?"  
  
"I-" she tried again, but Riddick wouldn't let her finish.  
  
"Go to your room and pack. We're heading to New Mecca" he said coldly.  
  
Jack jumped up and tried to follow him, but he shoved her in her room and voice locked the door.  
  
"Damn you Riddick!" she screamed, her fist slamming into the metal wall. She watched the trail of blood from her knuckles drip down the metallic surface with apathy. She then grinned wickedly and opened her dresser to retrieve her tool kit. With a few screws and yanks, the door opened noiselessly. Jack grabbed the bag full of her most prized possessions and silently made her way down into the cargo hold. She threw a shirt on the floor and kept going, striding quickly through the ship. She sprayed her perfume everywhere to confuse Riddick's keen sense of smell, and doused four lab rats with the vanilla scent. She also tied a piece of an old shirt to them.  
  
"Run" she whispered and dropped each off into a different part of the ship. Once she reached her room again, she climbed up into the air ducts. She shimmied her tiny body up and slid noiselessly, avoiding the areas she knew Riddick might be. She found a turn around area and camped out. She had food enough for a day if she was lucky, so she waited until she was sure Riddick was asleep before coming down. She padded quietly and was disturbed to see the cockpit open and Riddick's door closed. He knew she was gone by now, of that Jack was sure, and it didn't make sense that he would just go to bed after she'd disobeyed him twice in one day. She went to the food synthesizer and was about to punch in some codes when she realized that this was the trap. An alarm would sound or something. Jack cursed mentally but moved on to one of the cabinets. She took food for three or four days with her, mostly canned vegetables, but she'd survive. She silently padded back to her hiding place and prayed that Riddick wasn't pissed. *  
  
"Did Riddick find you?" Pip asks, amusement playing in her eyes.  
  
"Yes and no. He noticed the food was gone, but I don't think he ever knew where I was."  
  
* The next five days found Jack hungry but unwilling to go down again. On the sixth day Jack was hungry to the point of distraction and knew she needed to get more food if she wanted to survive. She avoided the synthesizer again and groaned when she opened the cupboards and found them bare.  
  
"Damnit" she whispered. The slight scent of steak and eggs wafted on the air, causing Jack to turn around. Riddick sat at the kitchen table, the steaming plate in front of the seat opposite him.  
  
"Sit down, Jack" He commanded, his tone neutral.  
  
Jack was too hungry to disobey and sat down. Riddick eyes glinted in the darkness and Jack found herself staring him down. Neither flinched until Riddick laughed.  
  
"You've got brains and moxy kid, I'll sure as hell give you that." He threw his head back, "You know, I don't think I'd have done anything different if I were you. By the way, the perfumed rats were a nice touch"  
  
Jack was only half listening. The majority of her attention was focused on the plate in front of her.  
  
"Eat up, kid. You earned it" Riddick chuckled, shoving a fork and his shiv towards the girl. Jack looked at him for a split second before grabbing the utensils and dismembering the steak as fast as possible.  
  
"Easy, don't rush. If you bombard your stomach with food after it's been empty, you'll get a stomach ache"  
  
Jack slowed down, focusing her attention more closely on the food. Riddick watched how she handled the shiv- she wasn't bad. He knew she would at least not slice herself open using it. Teaching her to use it in combat might not prove hard.  
  
After all the food and two glasses of water were gone, Jack looked up.  
  
"Why did you test me?" she asked, genuinely interested.  
  
"You need to remember the details. You forgot to wipe the Internet addresses out of the computer- a very careless mistake. When you live on the run, you can't make careless mistakes. I have to say though, your performance was impressive. You knew I'd look for you in the cargo bay, so you left a shirt so I'd keep searching. You also knew I'd smell you, so you spayed my whole ship with that damn vanilla crap of yours. The rats, though- that was a work of art. The shirt tied to them guaranteed I'd smell you and the vanilla, and I chased one of them into your room. I stopped when I saw that all four were gone."  
  
"Are they okay?" Jack asked, scanning the ground for her experiments/pets.  
  
"They're fine- I untied them and put them back in their cages. I won't have your experiments running around my ship"  
  
"So- did I pass?" Jack asked, her eyes focused on the sleeve of her shirt.  
  
"Yes- for now" Riddick replied, "You're learning. All we have to do now is get you into weapons training."  
  
"Can I learn how to use a butterfly?"  
  
"If you want, but I also want you to know how to handle a shiv. They're cheap to make and can't be traced back to you."  
  
Jack nodded. She got up and walked over to the synthesizer. She pressed a few buttons and a few seconds later two banana splits were ready.  
  
"Enjoy" Jack smiled, relieved to not be going to New Mecca after all. * 


	5. Hey All

Hey everyone!! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever, but school got me swamped and I was working all summer. I'm in college now (finally! No more APPLICATIONS!!) Anyway, this is just a little note to tell everyone to look out for more of their favorite fics coming soon (My writer's block is also gone, so my stuff won't suck anymore. Yea!!) Thank you all so much for leaving reviews even though I haven't updates in a while. Luv ya!

The one and only Cheshrie Charlie


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